Also known as a unit crest or DUI, a Distinctive Unit Insignia is worn by all Soldiers (except General Officers) in units that have been authorized to be issued the device. It is worn centered on the shoulder loops of the Army Green Service Uniform (AGSU) and the blue Army Service Uniform (ASU, Enlisted only) with the base of the insignia toward the outside shoulder seam. Current regulations do not permit the DUI to be worn on the Dress variations of either uniform, however.
Enlisted personnel wear the insignia centered on a shoulder loop by placing it an equal distance from the outside shoulder seam to the outside edge of the shoulder-loop button. Officers (except Generals) wearing grade insignia on the shoulder loops center the DUI by placing it an equal distance between the inside edge of the grade insignia and the outside edge of the button.
More guidance on wear of the DUI is found in DA Pamphlet 670-1, Section 21-22, "Distinctive unit insignia" and 21–3(d) and (e), "Beret" and "Garrison Cap," respectively.
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The 104th Engineer Battalion Distinctive Unit Insignia was originally approved for the Special Troops Battalion, 50th Brigade, 42nd Infantry Division on 1 May 2009. On 1 October 2009, the insignia was amended to correct the unit designation as Special Troops Battalion, 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, and on 1 September 2015 it was given its current designation, with updated symbolism, for the 104th Engineer Battalion.
In the shield portion of this insignia is a bend of teal holding a point-up sword with a doubled-warded (double-sided) key above it and a lightning flash below it. (Teal is the "branch immaterial" color of the Army and is often used for Special Troops Battalions.) The sword is a symbol of combat readiness and refers to the Infantry unit (50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team) to which the STB was assigned. The orange lightning flash is an emblem of both the unit’s quick responsiveness and its Communication capabilities of its Signal Corps component. The key stands for both the safekeeping of intelligence performed by the Battalion’s Military Intelligence units and the security function performed by its Military Police units.
The insignia’s base consists of a masoned wall with embattlements, the types of evenly spaced gaps associated with the walls of fortified castles; it signifies the construction mission of the Battalion’s Engineer components. At the top is the crest from the Coat of Arms of the State of New Jersey. INNASCOR BELLUM, the Battalion motto, is Latin for “Born in War.”
As of Winter 2024 the 104th Engineer Battalion, also known as the 104th Brigade Engineer Battalion, is a unit assigned to the 44th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in the New Jersey Army National Guard.